AURA
Antimicrobial Use and Resistance in Australia (AURA)
The Commission's Antimicrobial Use and Resistance in Australia (AURA) project collects and analyses data to provide a comprehensive and integrated picture of patterns and trends in antimicrobial resistance and antimicrobial use in human health across Australia.
Overview
Antimicrobials are an integral component of healthcare delivery. Antimicrobials need to be readily available and effective. When resistance to an antimicrobial emerges, and the effectiveness of that antimicrobial is reduced, it has a significant impact on an individual’s treatment and the community more broadly.
The Commission's Antimicrobial Use and Resistance in Australia (AURA) project coordinates collection and analysis of data from the National Alert System on Critical Antimicrobial Resistances (CARAlert) and Australian Passive AMR Surveillance (APAS).
The Commission also analyses data collected by the Australia Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (AGAR) and data on community antimicrobial use. AURA data informs and supports implementation of strategies to prevent and contain antimicrobial resistance.
AURA supports Australia’s efforts to prevent and contain AMR in human health, and implementation of Australia’s National Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy - 2020 and Beyond.
AURA 2023 is now available
AURA 2023 was released on Thursday 16 November and reveals the latest trends and analyses on antimicrobial use and resistance.
2023Publication, report or updateSubscribe for the latest updates on antimicrobial resistance and infection prevention and control.
About the AURA Surveillance System
The AURA Surveillance System is coordinated by the Department of Health and Aged Care. It was established by the Commission in 2014, with funding provided by the Department.
Four long-term surveillance programs provided the foundation for the establishment of AURA Surveillance System:
- Australian Group on Antimicrobial Resistance (AGAR)
- National Antimicrobial Prescribing Survey (NAPS)
- National Antimicrobial Utilisation Surveillance Program (NAUSP)
- The Queensland Health OrgTRx System, which provides the IT infrastructure for the Australian Passive AMR Surveillance (APAS) system.
In addition, analyses of data have been included in national reporting from:
- The National Alert System for Critical Antimicrobial Resistances (CARAlert), which was established by the Commission in 2016 to provide information on priority organisms that are resistant to last-line antimicrobials
- The National Neisseria Network, on Neisseria gonorrhoeae and N. meningitidis
- The National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, on Mycobacterium tuberculosis
- The Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) and Repatriation Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (RPBS)
- The MedicineInsight program
- Sullivan Nicolaides Pathology, on rates of antimicrobial resistance from the community and private hospital settings
- HOTspots on rates of antimicrobial resistance from across northern Australia
- The C. difficile Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance (CDARS) study.
Organisms included in the AURA Surveillance System have been drawn from the Priority Organisms List. The Commission worked with a range of clinical and technical experts, and the states and territories, to identify these organisms which are considered to be a priority for surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in Australia.
